Preliminary Proposals

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OLD PROPOSALS

Proposal (edited according to the changes mentioned in my First Symposium)

The reason I have changed my Proposal is that I did not have a specific theme - but rather a general idea of what I wanted to do. My new theme is: A Safe Drug: An Intoxicated trip into the unconscious (An audiovisual interactive space where the user can create an animated sonic digital painting.)

My Research:
It seems to be difficult to emit the type of emotion we get through traditional art, in interactive digital art. Therefore I wish to research interactive spaces which create an emotional impact on the user. I will do this through researching traditional art and movements which I feel will best evoke strong emotions by means of delving into the unconscious, naked truths and emotions.
I will also look into interactive spaces associated with these topics, as well as experimental audio – which I believe is a key ingredient in order to emit strong emotions from an individual.

My Project:
For my interactive space I will be focusing on the unconscious, a state where we are at our most vulnerable. I will be taking a Dionysian approach to my illustrations, where my main inspirations will be intoxication, nightmarish and ecstatic dreams. I feel that people are much more responsive to negative experiences. I therefore wish to take my viewers through a dark and reflective journey by means of interactive art. I want them to be able to lose themselves in this application, it will be a safe drug.

For the time being I have been calling my project a cosmic kitchen. In this cosmic kitchen, an individual can find a recipe – go through the ingredients, made up of several animated illustrations (inspired by the movements I will be researching) with assigned audio, and mix them together to create a final audiovisual piece. I will be getting help from specialized idividuals for the audio. The cosmic kitchen idea is just a concept, it will not be used.

What I’m looking into right now is what happens AFTER the user has finished his/her recipe. It would be great if they could get some kind of feedback, or to check back on the food the next day to see how it has evolved.

I will probably be animationg the illustrations in after effects – and assigning music to them in AE,Premiere or Flash. I will then export them with alpha so they are more flexible and can overlap each other.


The Key Influences 
Interactive artists: Bonnie Mitchell, Elaine Lillios and Greg Cornelius – the experience of digital art
Immersive Installation Arts:

When you enter the environment you're immediately transported to another place and time. You forget about the world around you and find yourself completely immersed in the present moment. It's an experience like no other, yet it triggers memories and seeks references to help explain itself. At first you're unsure and unsettled, but quickly you find the experience strangely compelling, and you don't want it to end.”


Sound and interactive artist: Toshio Iwai – letting the user play and choose own visuals and music

"He created a virtual score to trigger keys of a piano, which in turn induce the projection of computer-generated images on a screen. Gallery visitors choose the melodies, as well as the visuals they produce. His project establishes connections between notation, sound and image, and provides an almost synaesthetic experience."

Interactive artist: Jeremy Gardiner – combining characteristics of computer animation, painting and drawing, and immersive virtual reality.

Video artist: Bill Viola
"He is considered a leading figure in the generation of artists whose artistic expression depends upon electronic, sound, and image technology in New Media.[1] His works focus on the ideas behind fundamental human experiences such as birth, death and aspects of consciousness.[2]"

The beat generation: – men and women – The Dionysian approach

Contemporary Vinyl artists: Teebs and other Vinyl artists – for illustration inspiration – mix of traditional and digital.

Directors: Michel Gondry – films such as Science of Sleep – dreams / traditional feel.

Abstract Expressionists: Franz Kline, Adolph Gottlieb

All art movements associated with naked expression, emotion, the unconscious.


Producer: Chris Cunningham – Dark Visuals 

Expressive figurative drawings + photos:  Egon Schiele, Tracey Emin, Francesca Woodman

Audio: Dream music - Unconscious
John Cage! – Experimental
Charlemagne Palestine
La Monte Young
Bittersweet piano pieces like Eluvium
John Hopkins

My Initial Proposal:
My research question and practical work will be based on dynamic digital art and audio, as I believe that this area is increasing exponentially due to its inclusion of the user’s participation and control.

I wish to research a variety of interactive spaces and be able to create an area where a user can combine audio samples with a mixture of animated traditional and digital illustration to produce an audiovisual composition. Through this, I wish to create an environment where the user can explore, play and appreciate contemporary experimental music with the help of animated visuals.

I intend to incorporate multi faceted elements into my work in order to create a more total, all encompassing aesthetic experience. I also want to not merely engage the audience but actively involve them in the actual composition, creation and reception of the artwork.


Context (I think I need to narrow this down even more to a specific theme):












The elements I intend to investigate range from the psychedelic and funky to minimalist and contemporary. My artworks will vary from abstract to figurative. I will be looking at developments in illustration, animation, collage, media and the music industry that relate to a fusion of different media. In addition, I will also be looking into all encompassing multi-dimensional art to try and cater for more than one area of the senses. I hope through this approach to increase the user interest and experience.


References
So far I haven't really researched interactive audiovisual spaces, however I did find some links to some interesting flash games which might relate to my topic.


One of the best examples that I have found is "Play Auditorium" which is described as a "process of discovery and play" where the user can direct visuals to play sound. Play Auditorium is a though provoking interactive space which also successfully entertains the user throughout the entire process.
Play Auditorium
Some other examples I have looked into so far are Feed the Head and Bomomo. Feed the Head is sort of like an abstract flash game where the user is prompted to explore a cartoon head, which slowly evolves throughout the game. Bomomo is a Javascript drawing application created by Philipp Lenssen in 2008. The user can go through various tools and drag the mouse on the display where different animated visuals are generated.
Feed the Head
Bomomo